Page 5 - Mid America Boating - August 2024 issue

P. 5

Celebrate a move to keep

Asian carp out of the Great Lakes

By Norm Schultz for the Great Lakes, it had been at least 18
months since the state had the agreement,
An invasive species known as Asian carp are and it was never clear what the holdup was
a huge threat to the world-class fishery of the considering all state and federal funds were
Great Lakes, and marine trade associations lined up.
along with many other boating and fishing “We have invasive carp amassing below 5 [ MID-AMERICA BOATING ] JUNE 2024
organizations are standing at the gates to Brandon Road and now is the time to act,”
protect the largest freshwater system in the Flanagan said. “The state’s failure to sign was
world from such an invasion. the one thing holding up the project.” Photo: Illinois DNR
What’s stopping them is in Illinois right Specifically, the project costs more than
now. It’s known as the Brandon Road Interba- $1.1 billion, but a price worth paying to keep
sin Project, a state-of-the art barricade at an the Great Lakes healthy while protecting the
important pinch point along the Des Plaines multi-billion-dollar recreational boating and Plaines and Illinois rivers and down to the making, and a major priority of marine indus-
River in Joliet, Illinois. From there, invasive fishing industries. The lakes cover 94,600 Mississippi. For example, in a single day last try trade associations and boating and fishing
carp could make their way into Lake Michigan square miles and contain 21% of the world’s year, one million pounds of carp were taken organizations, including the Alliance for the
and that could mean disaster for fishing in all surface fresh water, not to mention being the out of the Illinois River. Great Lakes.
the lakes! source of drinking water for over 40 million Exactly what are invasive carp? It’s a blanket To the point, the silver and bighead carp
Much to the chagrin of boating and fishing people in the U.S. and Canada! term for giant fish first introduced in the U.S. have already wreaked havoc on the Mississip-
interests for several months Illinois Governor Moreover, the Great Lakes region in the 1970s from Asia to control weeds and pi and Illinois Rivers, out-competing native
J.B. Pritzker unexplainably delayed signing a represents over one third of the U.S. boating algae blooms in wastewater treatment plants fish there for food. They have even injured
critical agreement with the U.S. Army Corps industry’s annual sales, and the excellent and aquaculture farms. But they escaped people in boats as these fish will leap from
of Engineers. Without it, there would be fishing kicks in a whopping $7 billion/year confinement during flooding in Arkansas and the water at the sound of a boat engine and
serious delays in projects that continue to economic impact. But it could be wiped out Mississippi, made their way up the Missis- hit passengers.
keep the carp trapped and away from entering if fish known as Asian carp ever escape into sippi River, and have spread into many of its This critical Brandon Road project will act
Lake Michigan at Chicago. the lakes and wipe out the native fishery as tributaries. as the choke point to stop them from reach-
The good news is the Illinois governor predicted. Bighead, silver, black and grass are the ing Lake Michigan. The project now going
finally signed the agreement at the end of last Stakeholders in both the U.S. and Canada four carp that can approach 100 pounds and forward is cause for our $16 billion Great
month, meaning a critical project can now have long worried that the rivers and canal 4-feet in length. They are voracious eaters and Lakes boating industry, our superb $7 billion
move forward. No question the delay caused system connecting the Great Lakes with the would likely wipe out the native fish popula- sport fishery, and the entire Great Lakes
much anxiety for sportsmen in all Great Lakes Mississippi River would be the gateway for the tions found in the lakes. ecosystem to celebrate today. MAB
states, however. invasive fish. This connection exists because The expansion of the Brandon Road
According to Molly Flanagan, chief oper- Chicago reversed the flow of its river, connect- project, which will now add additional locks Norm Schultz is President Emeritus of the Ohio
ating officer at the Chicago-based Alliance ing it to the canal system bound for the Des and protections, has been a decade in the Marine Trades Association

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